The inspection report from ETI is now available for everyone to read on their website (click here)

Seldom has the report on a school been as glowing in praise of the work that is undertaken in any school! For explanation, Inspectors relate their evaluations to the following 6 descriptors:

Outstanding

Very Good

Good

Satisfactory

Inadequate

Unsatisfactory

Below are a number of quotations:

Overall the standards achieved by the pupils are very good.

The quality of provision for learning is very good.

The quality of the care, guidance and support for pupils is very good.

The curricular provision for the pupils at KS3 and at KS4 is very good.

The provision of CEIAG is very good.

The quality of provision for SEN is very good.

The leadership and management are very good.

Regarding GCSE results for English and Mathematics, “results in both subjects are almost 20 percentage points above the NI average”.

In Science, the results achieved by the pupils in external examinations are outstanding.

In French, there is good uptake at KS4 and the standards achieved by the pupils at GCSE are very good.

The pupils enjoy and benefit from a very good range of social and academic extra-curricular activities.

Conclusion

The quality of education provided by the school is very good.

Comment from the Principal

We are gratified that the inspection report has given a true reflection of the very good education that we strive to deliver. The evidence is that our striving is not in vain. I would encourage all parents to read the entire report.

Finally, I would comment that as teachers, we are grateful for the very good support that we receive from parents as we work hard to do our best for your children!

26/06/12 - Scripture Union End of Term Trip

Members of Scripture Union (SU) had a very enjoyable end of term trip to Sheepbridge, where they participated in 10 Pin Bowling and Laser Quest. This was followed by shopping in the Quays and the Buttercrane Shopping Centre – even the boys were proving experts in this field. A great day was had by all and the SU staff would like to take this opportunity to thank all members for their faithful attendance during the year. We trust and pray that everyone will have an enjoyable and safe summer break and we look forward to welcoming present members and our new Year 8 pupils to SU which will

re-commence in September.

25/06/12 - Principal’s End of Term Message

As the month of June draws to a close, it is appropriate that we pause to reflect on what has turned out to be a most difficult year.

The tragedy that unfolded at the end of the Christmas term was and still is very difficult for us all but again on your behalf I thank our teachers and others for the compassionate, caring and dedicated support that was and is offered to pupils in the school. I pay tribute, too, to the work of our counsellor Heather Mills. Our thoughts remain with the immediate family and wider circle of friends who have been devastated by the events of the past 12 months.

The country continues to suffer from the financial downturn and many families have concerns about employment or are struggling to make ends meet. In order to cut our own costs, ancillary staff and teachers in school have been responding by working harder than ever to ensure that the school pays its way. I thank them for their support.

The arrival of the inspectors on 14th May increased the stress levels greatly - and generally unnecessarily! We do not become the top performing controlled school in Northern Ireland without being a very good school! I know that staff work hard and we do a very good job. The testament of the experts will confirm this assertion when the report is published on the ETI website (www.etini.gov.uk) on 26th June 2012 and any issues that need attention will be addressed.

There have, of course, been many other success stories during the year and for that we offer our thanks. Many of these stories have been told via our website. I thank Mr Megaw and Derek for their hard work in ensuring that the website remains an increasingly efficient and popular method of communicating with the home.

In particular I wish to thank all the parents who have supported us in the reformation of the School Association and the events that were organised. May you all have a peaceful holiday and enjoy any good weather that comes our way in the next few weeks.

Garnet Mullan

22/06/12 - Website Goes From Strength to Strength

Our school website continues to be popular with pupils, parents and friends as 4634 unique visitors made 15614 visits during the period 01/09/11 - 22/06/12. A total of 69999 pages were also viewed during this time.

Newtownhamilton High School is extremely grateful to the sponsors who enable the site to be maintained. It is hoped that these businesses have benefited from the advertising. Any business/organisation interested in becoming a website sponsor for the 2012/13 school year should contact Mr Megaw on 02830 878246.

22/06/12 - Year 8 Carrickfergus Castle

Year 8 pupils enjoyed a visit to Carrickfergus Castle on Thursday 21 June 2012 where they were able to take a step back in time and explore one of Northern Ireland’s most striking historical monuments. They also considered why it is important to preserve such historical sites for future generations.

This experience of living history enriched and consolidated the Year 8 pupils' understanding of the Norman conquest as they were able to explore this magnificent Norman castle. Pupils had recently studied castles in class and had developed cross-curricular links in ICT and Art. They completed an enquiry and PowerPoint presentation in their ICT class which was assessed by Mrs Reid and Mrs Ferris and built clay castles with Miss Johnston in Art. In spite of the dismal Irish weather they all had a fun time and thoroughly enjoyed their day out!

22/06/12 - Parent Information: New School Skirt

In an effort to improve our school uniform we will be introducing a new skirt for girls from the beginning of September 2012.The skirt is harrow grey with two small pleats at the front, and is very stylish and comfortable to wear. It will finish just at the knee.

The new skirt is compulsory for all Year 8 pupils from 01/09/12 and we would ask that if you are intending to purchase a new skirt for your daughter in Years 9-12 that you would purchase this new style.

The product will soon be available to purchase from Mrs Gracie Donaldson at Newtownhamilton Post Office (02830 878979). We would advise that you start shopping sooner rather than later in order to ensure you are able to get the correct size.

Thank you for your continued support.

20/06/12 - Successful Jubilee Olympics

Newtownhamilton High School Association held a successful Jubilee Olympics event last night. Fortunately the rain stayed away for most of the evening thus enabling pupils, parents and friends of the school to participate in a number of competitive and fun events.

A big thank you goes to all those individuals that contributed to the organisation and also to our community members that turned out in force on the evening to support the school - a great evening of fun with over £400 raised for school funds.

The School Association AGM will be held in early September - further information will be available on this website.

Photographer Mrs R Smyth was on hand to capture some action shots with more pictures available on the gallery.

Newtownhamilton High School - at the heart of the community

15/06/12 - Newtownhamilton High In The News

We’ve done it again! Yet again the quality of education offered to pupils in Newtownhamilton High School has been recognised, this time in the Irish News (Thursday 14 June 2012) league table of results.

When comparing academic performance of non-selective schools in Northern Ireland, Newtownhamilton High is once again the top performing controlled school in N. Ireland, with 83% of Year 12 pupils achieving 5+ GCSE grades at A*-C.

Whilst the excellent provision for the education of pupils in Newtownhamilton High is not just about academic achievement, for a small school to achieve such consistent success is testament to the hard work of both teachers and pupils.

15/06/12 - Ulster Bank Financial Capability Awards Video

Following the success of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarves’ achieving 1st Runner-Up in the 2012 Student/Team category of the Ulster Bank Financial Capability Awards, a short video on the project has been uploaded to the Ulster Bank website (click on the link below).

Our Year 11 Double Award Science pupils spent Thursday morning visiting the pharmaceutical company, Norbrook Laboratories in Newry. During the visit pupils had a tour of the factory and gained some useful information on careers in the pharmaceutical industry.

Staff and pupils enjoyed a barbecue on Friday 1 June as part of the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations. A feast fit for a King (or Queen) was prepared and distributed by Mrs Sharon Porter and her willing team. A selection of desserts also proved popular with all involved.

A big thank you must go to the Canteen staff and also to the pupils that helped to decorate the building with bunting.

06/06/12 - Jubilee Olympics

The vibrant School Association are hoping to build on the success of previous events (Christmas Fayre, Community Fitness Class and Can't Cook, Won't Cook) this academic year by hosting a Jubilee Olympics evening on Tuesday 19 June 2012 at 7pm.

Not only will the evening include the finals of the track and field events from Sports Day but a wide range of fun style games will be held for both pupils and parents to participate in. A barbeque, bouncy castle and many other activities will ensure a fun filled evening for all the family - so come along and support this community event, everyone welcome.

School Association Members willing to contribute to the organisation of this event should contact the school office.